Someone's Watching Over Me
by svgurl410
Summary: oneshot Oliver thinks he'll be alone on Christmas again but when he awakes on the morning of the 25th, he finds an unexpected surprise ... and realizes he is not as alone as he previously thought. ClarkOliver, mm, slash.


I wrote this for a friend's (Jazzy) birthday. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

**Story**: Someone's Watching Over Me  
**Pairing/Characters**: Clark/Oliver  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Disclaimer**: don't own anything  
**Warning**: slash  
**Spoilers**: slight season 7  
**Summary**: Oliver thinks he'll be spending Christmas alone but when he wakes up on the 25th, he finds a surprise and realizes he is not as alone as he previously thought.

* * *

_Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way … _

Disgusted, Oliver changed the radio station yet again.

_I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus … _

"Stupid Christmas music," Oliver grumbled, "Doesn't it ever stop?" Frustrated, he finally just turned off the radio.

He tried to concentrate on driving home and not getting himself killed in the process but it was difficult. How could he focus when all those damn stations were playing nothing but Christmas music? It was five days until Christmas and everywhere he looked, signs of the upcoming holiday were shoved in his face.

The arrival of December had brought smiles to the faces of many but not him. He was one of the select few cringing on December 1st. Because he knew what the month of December brought. The holiday season. Of course, the holiday season technically began when everyone was all joyous on Thanksgiving but during December, all the cheer quadrupled.

And he hated it. Thanksgiving was difficult enough but Christmas was so much worse. Everyone around him seemed so happy and it did nothing but make him even more miserable. Of course _they_were happy … they had families, loved ones … people to celebrate this season with.

Who did he have? Nobody … he would be spending yet another Christmas alone. This festive season meant for families to spend time together and he didn't have one. Hadn't had one for years. When he was in boarding school, all his friends would go home to their parents and he would stay at school.

The first few years after his parents death, he did go home but only the servants were around … soon, he realized that there wasn't any point and stopped bothering.

Oliver figured that as he grew older, the pain would stop … or at least lessen. It didn't.

The worst part was that his birthday fell in December … the 9th to be exact. So not only did he have to deal with Thanksgiving and Christmas but a lonely birthday. At least his birthday was a little better because he had some friends to celebrate it with.

Too bad the same couldn't be said about Christmas and Thanksgiving. As he aged, he learned to ignore the aching of his heart when he flipped the channels to see all the Christmas classics playing 24/7 and taught himself to fight the overwhelming pain that always threatened to take him over whenever he saw all the joyous families picking out their tree or shopping for the people they cared most about.

It wasn't easy … but he managed. Every year, he just … managed. Somehow escaping the season without going completely insane. Either he buried himself in work, because all his employees had people to go home to so they were distracted, or he sometimes went out to the corporate holiday parties.

As for his team, they were already long gone. Over the course of the year, they had successfully disabled all of Lex Luthor's 33.1 laboratories … at least most of them. There was probably more out there but for now, Oliver decided that they deserved a break. Bart, Victor and AC were all great guys and he thanked the stars he was lucky enough to have them on his team but they too deserved a break.

Bart was still a teenager and Victor and AC weren't too far from that … they shouldn't be working all the time.

So he told them they would meet up again after the New Year. In fact, they had parted ways just a few days prior … and Oliver was surprised that he was sad to see them go.

"_You sure Robin Hood?" AC questioned after Oliver told them that they were all going to take a break for a bit. The four of them were on Oliver's jet, heading back to Star City from their latest mission. _

"_Dude," Bart chipped in, "Don't argue … a vacation is a good thing."_

"_For once I have to agree with Bart," Oliver told them, chuckling. "You guys did good … but it's the holidays. You should be relaxing. We'll deal with Luthor again after New Years." _

"_Works for me," Victor said, shrugging. _

"_Awesome," Bart said excitedly. "So Robin Hood … you got any exciting plans for the holidays?" _

_Oliver's smile fell from his face but he quickly regained his composure._

"_No, nothing special," Oliver said casually, "The holidays have never been a big deal for me."_

_Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Victor catch the slip but fortunately for him, Cyborg didn't say anything to the contrary. _

_His team knew everything about the Green Arrow but when it came to his day-to-day life, they knew about as much as the press. He trusted them with his life but he didn't feel close enough to them to share the details. _

"_So you going to head to Metropolis?" AC questioned. _

"_Metropolis?" Oliver repeated. "Why would I go there? No, I'll be in Star City." _

"_You're going to be alone?" Bart asked, sounding sadder at the idea. _

"_Of course not," Oliver said, the lie dropping from his lips with ease. The younger man looked so disheartened that Oliver didn't want to burden him with the truth. The truth that he really would be alone, that he had been alone all these years and highly suspected it would always be that way._

"_There are tons of parties and things to do," Oliver continued. "Besides, around this time, my employees aren't there 100 so I have to make sure that my company is still running." He forced a laugh. "You know me … I'll probably take off to the Bahamas or something for a few days. Don't worry." _

"_If you say so," Bart said, sounding slightly more pacified. _

"_I do say so," Oliver replied, smiling. "What do you guys have planned?" _

"_Dude, we should so do something together," Bart declared. He glanced at Oliver. "I mean, I guess you're busy, huh?"_

"_Yeah," Oliver said apologetically. "Sorry." _

"_That's okay," Bart told him. Turning to AC and Victor, he went on. "Then we should do something … let's spend Christmas together!" _

_Victor and AC quickly started making plans with Bart while Oliver watched the exchange silently. Part of him wished he could belong but even with his team, he really didn't belong. Unlike them, he didn't have any powers or abilities … he was also older than them and had gone through life from a very different point of view. _

_The three of them had more in common than he had with any one of them. Besides, he was the leader … the big brother almost. He had resigned himself to the fact he could never be a friend … it was just not possible. _

_At the end of the day, no matter how many people he surrounded himself with, he was alone. He'd always be alone. Just because he had accepted it, it didn't change how much it still hurt. _

They split up almost right after they landed in Star City … he wasn't exactly sure where the trio had run off to … he just knew they were gone.

The Queen mansion was huge … being home again made him realize exactly how big it really was. Especially since he was there alone. Now he remembered why he was always traveling.

Once upon a time, the house was filled with the same joy, love and laughter that the families he passed by were experiencing. No more though … it hadn't been that way for a long time. Not since that horrible night and that fateful plane crash that took the lives of his parents.

The home in which he grew up may not look as cold as the Luthor mansion on the outside but on the inside, it felt just as distant.

Oliver sighed as he entered the aforementioned house. There was no signs of Christmas … he hadn't bothered with lights or even a tree. Why should he? It wasn't like he had anyone to spend it with.

Walking into the main living room, he smiled nostalgically when he saw the place where the tree always used to be when he was a child. Right near the fireplace.

Memories of better times entered his mind but he pushed them away. He made his way to the fireplace, and the small pile that rested near it. There were no lights, no trees, no signs of anything Christmas … except for that pile of presents that rested on the ground.

Because Oliver couldn't resist … he always liked to shop for the people he cared about. Most of his early adult years, especially after he graduated, he didn't have anyone to shop for. And that made him sad.

He didn't actually mind the crowds; the warm feeling that every time he found the perfect gift more than made up for the grumpy people and the long lines. It would've been easier to get the gifts online and he certainly had enough money to pay other people to shop for him.

But it wasn't the same … this was one tradition he wanted to participate in, that he felt good about participating in.

Ollie even wrapped all the presents himself! He was quite proud of the results. Looking at the tags, he wondered when he would mail these gifts out. Bart, Victor and AC would get their gifts when they met again but the others … he wasn't so sure.

Glancing at the remaining tags, he sighed. There was a gift for Lois, which he bought on impulse. That one may never get sent out. He did love her at one point though and even though he knew that she probably hated him, a part of him would always care about her. Leaving her, especially the way he did, would always be a memory he would look back on with guilt. No regrets though … despite how much he cared about Lois, he knew that she wasn't the one he was meant to spent eternity with.

Hopefully, she was happy … and he prayed with all his heart that she would someday, she would find someone who could love her the way he couldn't.

Another tag read 'Chloe' and there was no question to why the perky blonde reporter was on his shopping list. Despite being unable to go with them on their missions, she has been assisting them in other ways, ways that could allow her to remain in Metropolis. Either way, 'Watchtower' had been a huge help to the team and according to Oliver, she was as much a member as any of them.

There was a present for Senator Kent but more importantly was the gift sitting right next to it … the one addressed to her son. Clark.

An image immediately was pushed to the front of his head. It was always so easy to think of Clark … mostly because there was hardly a minute that the brunette _wasn't_on his mind. Thanks to Clark, he had actually had a normal holiday season last year.

Sure, Thanksgiving fell during the time he was so hyped up on a healing drug he almost murdered Lex but Clark had forgiven him for all the things he had said and done. Not only that but he stood there when all of it was over and told Oliver he still considered him a hero. That was in addition to helping him fix things with Lois.

Leaving Lois had been hard but Clark turning him down had hurt more than he imagined he would. When Clark said 'no', Oliver just wanted to change his mind and stay too. But it wasn't an option. Clark had obligations that caused him to refuse Oliver's offer, just like Oliver had a duty too.

"_Because there's more important things than what I want … and what I love." _

He had said that to Lois earlier that day … and she probably thought he was talking about her. Little did she know he was really talking about her best friend.

How could he be faulted for falling in love with Clark Kent? Yes, the man was gorgeous but he had such a pure heart and a strong spirit … he was kind, and loyal and just all around as close to perfect as any person could get.

Their friendship started slow but the trust developed quickly, and their bond grew rapidly. Before Oliver knew it, his feelings moved from friendship to love. Which made leaving so much harder. It was worse because he left without even telling Clark how he felt.

Not that it would've mattered. Clark was undeniably straight and had nothing but platonic feelings for him. And there was already someone else who had captured the heart of Clark Kent … which was another reason that his holidays were less tolerable than normal.

Thanks to Bart, he had getting the updates from what was going in Smallville. Bart and Chloe had been keeping in touch and after getting the gossip from Chloe, Bart would happily share the news with the rest of the team.

Over the summer, he knew that there was a lot of problems in Smallville … and he had wanted nothing more than to run back. But he stayed put and worried from afar. Everything was settled but that didn't ease his anxiety.

Lois had been stabbed, Chloe had _died_and come back to life … and the worst part was that Clark had been in danger. The thought of Clark in a near-death situation scared him out of his wits.

Sure, they all managed to be okay but he really wanted to be back in Smallville, to see Clark say that he was fine before he would believe it.

Hearing about Lana's death had surprised him … and didn't help his need to go back to Kansas. Wanted to go and comfort his Clark, who he knew was devastated.

For a while, he managed to stay calm about the whole incident but a little while after hearing about what was going on, he gave in to his urges and made a phone call to the Kent Farm.

And he regretted his actions since.

_Oliver waited impatiently as the phone rang once, twice … on the fourth ring, someone picked up. _

"_Kent farm." _

_Oliver couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face at hearing Clark's voice at the other end. Ever since he had been hearing about the disaster at the Reeves Dam, he had been frightened for the brunette's safety. _

_To hear his voice was proof that was he alive and safe and that gave him an incredible sense of relief. _

"_Clark," Oliver said, "It's Ollie."_

"_Oliver," Clark said, sounding surprised, "Hi! How are you?" _

"_I'm good," he replied. 'Now that I've heard your voice, I'm great.' "And yourself? I have been hearing all the craziness that is going on there …" _

"_Yeah, it's been hectic," Clark agreed. "Fortunately, everything is good now … we're all okay. So what's new with you? The team doing well?"_

"_We're been pretty successful in our mission," Oliver told him. _

"_I've been hearing," Clark replied. "I'm glad everything is going well with you." _

"_Me too," Oliver said. "But I called to check in on you … are you sure you're okay?" He hesitated for a moment. "I heard about Lana … I'm so sorry, Clark." _

"_There's no need to be sorry," Clark said quickly. _

_Oliver was confused at the response. "Clark … I know it hurts … you can say so." _

"_Oliver," Clark said, chuckling. "This is going to sound crazy but … Lana's not dead." _

"_What?" That was one response he hadn't been expecting. "What do you mean?" _

"_Lana faked her death," Clark explained. "She needed to get away from Lex … but she's back now." _

"_She framed Luthor for her murder?" Oliver repeated. "I mean … forgive me for saying this but isn't fraud a crime?" _

"_Oliver, it's not like that," Clark protested, "She wanted a divorce but he would've never let her get away alive … she had to do this."_

_Oliver rolled his eyes and was silently grateful that they were just talking over the phone. Didn't Clark realize how silly he sounded? Apparently, Lana Lang had gotten to him and muddled his brain once more. _

"_And who is going to protect her now that she's back?" Oliver wanted to know. "I mean, Clark … Lex has been put in jail for her so called murder … he's going to want revenge." _

"_I won't let him get to her," Clark declared. "She's staying on the farm with me … I'll protect her." _

"_She's staying on the farm?" Oliver echoed. _

"_Yup," Clark stated proudly. "We're together now … she knows my secret and this time, we can have our happily ever after." _

_Oliver felt like he was going to throw up. 'No.' This couldn't be happening … it just couldn't. _

_He knew that his love for Clark Kent never had a chance of being reciprocated but now … now Clark was with Lana again. And now he knew he had lost him for good. _

How he managed to get off the phone that day without making an idiot out of himself, he had no idea. His heart had shattered with Clark's declarations. However, he was a better actor than he gave himself credit for and he feigned an excuse to hang up without getting Clark suspicious.

Oliver hadn't called the Kent Farm since … he couldn't bear the idea of Lana picking up. He was certain that he wouldn't be able to keep his cool if she did. She didn't _deserve_a second chance with Clark, much less a happily ever after. It should be him … he was _better_for Clark. If Clark gave him half a chance, he'd make him so happy … so much happier than _Lana_ever could.

It was a shame Clark didn't have any feelings for him … would never have any feelings for him. Right now, Clark was busy playing house with Lana. They were probably preparing their perfect Christmas on the farm … decorating a tree, baking cookies … putting up lights.

The thoughts filled Oliver with bitterness and jealousy. Never had he envied someone the way he did Lana Lang. She was a lucky woman and he ever got word that she did _anything_to hurt his Clark, he'd make her pay.

_Give it up … no matter what Lana does, Clark will always forgive her. Just face the truth … you never had a chance and now … you never will. _

He hated its mind for its traitorous thoughts and he hated it even more for being correct.

_Five more days … just make it through Christmas one more year and you will be fine once again for another eleven months. _

He could do it … he had made it through this entire month. 5 more days was nothing.

The next few days were harder than expected … everyone was in full fledge holiday mode and Oliver had to practically barricade himself in his home to escape the madness.

Christmas Eve brought carolers around the streets and Oliver just pretended he wasn't home. He just wasn't in a very cheerful mood … he watched through his bedroom window. Seeing the smiling faces, he had never felt so lonely.

Depressed, he took off into the night on patrol. Christmas Eve was a dangerous time, no matter how cheerful. People, in a rush to get home, were always more reckless.

As he suspected, he had more work to do than usual. He only made it home close to 2 am, completely exhausted, and was relieved to get out of the costume. After taking a shower, he slipped into his warm pajamas and headed to bed, where he fell asleep fairly quickly.

What awoke him the following morning, he wasn't certain. But when he opened his eyes, it was a little past 9 am and he was still tired. His first instinct, especially upon remembering it was Christmas day, was just to go back to sleep.

Something told him that he shouldn't go back to sleep … he didn't know what it was but he just felt that he needed to be awake.

Slowly, after slightly freshening up and still in his pajamas, he made his way out of his bedroom. As he got closer to the living room, he heard noise. Listening closer, he realized those noises were actually voices … there were people in his home. _What the …? _

He certainly wasn't expecting anyone. Swallowing hard and praying for the best, he made his way down the stairs and prepared himself to face whoever was there.

What he came face-to-face with was the last thing he had expected. His house had been completely transformed in his sleep. There were decorations all over the place. The empty place near the fireplace now had a huge tree that was covered with ornaments and lights with an angel at the top.

Oliver's heart was pounding … what was going on? Who would do this? Who_cared_this much about him to do this? Was he dreaming? It had to be a dream … no way could this be reality.

He spun around slowly and froze. Because standing there, with smiles on their faces were the last _people_he had expected to see.

Bart, Victor and AC were there, grinning at him … and they weren't alone. Along with them was Chloe, Senator Kent and … Clark.

"Umm … hi?" Oh yeah, that was good … he certainly was eloquent this morning.

"Merry Christmas!" they all said in unison, seeing his shocked expression.

"What's … what's going on?" Oliver questioned, his mind too scattered to comprehend the situation.

Clark was the first one to give him an answer. Well, right after he stepped forward and enveloped Oliver in a big hug.

He may be dazed but he wasn't stupid … he returned the hug, enjoying the feeling of being wrapped in Clark's strong arms. And it confirmed that he wasn't dreaming … they were all _really_here. But he was still confused.

"Merry Christmas Oliver," Clark said, pulling away.

"What are you guys doing here?" Oliver questioned, meeting Clark's eyes.

"We're here to spend Christmas with you," Bart answered, smiling.

"Bart called me," Clark said slowly. "I couldn't bear the idea of you alone here for Christmas … so we dragged the gang over. I hope you don't mind us barging in."

"You didn't have to do this," Oliver said softly.

"But I _wanted_to," Clark stated, his gaze not shifting from Oliver's face. "We all did." And in that moment, Oliver was certain he fell just a little bit more in love with Clark.

He glanced at everyone else over Clark's shoulder and a warm feeling spread through his body. These people _cared_about him … cared so much that they left their own homes to spend Christmas with him.

Maybe he wasn't as alone as he thought.

"Thank you," Oliver said, his voice full of emotion. "This means a lot to me."

"We're happy to be here Oliver," Chloe said. "Just know that you're not alone … you always have us."

Oliver just smiled, too choked up to actually form words.

"Okay," Bart said, breaking the silence. "Now that Ollie is up … can we open presents?" The group burst out into laughter.

"Go for it, Bart," Oliver said, noticing for the first time that there was a lot more gifts under the tree. And much to his surprise, there were quite a few with _his_name on it.

"I have a camera," Chloe exclaimed. "Nobody open anything until I take more pictures."

"Are you a journalist or a photographer?" Bart grumbled, "Chloelicious … you may be gorgeous but right now, you're getting in the way of my presents. We are not amused."

Oliver watched as the group interacted, with everyone teasing Bart and Bart trying to steal Chloe's camera. Martha was watching the scene with motherly eyes and Oliver was just too moved to really speak.

"Hey," a voice whispered in his ear and he turned toward the sound, toward Clark who was standing right next to him.

"Hey yourself," Oliver replied.

"What are you thinking about?" Clark questioned, green eyes full of curiosity.

"Just how amazing this all is," Oliver replied, keeping his voice low, as to not get attention from everyone else. "I really can't believe you guys are all here."

"I can't believe you were going to spend Christmas alone," Clark told him, a disapproving look on his face. "You should've called … you always have a place in our home, Ollie."

"I didn't want to intrude," Oliver said, feeling slightly shy all of a sudden. "I'm used to being alone."

"You shouldn't be," Clark responded. "Because you're not …"

"I'm starting to realize that too," Oliver noted, with a small smile. "I thought you'd be busy though … with Lana. Shouldn't you be spending Christmas with your girlfriend?"

An emotion he couldn't place passed through Clark's eyes. "Lana and I broke up," Clark informed him. "A few weeks ago, actually."

"I'm sorry Clark," Oliver said, trying to sound more sincere then he felt. He did genuinely feel bad for the brunette … Clark had truly loved her and when the brunette hurt, Oliver hurt for him.

"I'm not," Clark said, with a shrug. "It just wasn't as meant to be as I thought … life goes on."

"As long as you're okay," Oliver said, a little thrown off by Clark's answer. Clark had been in love with this woman forever … he would be lying if he said he wasn't stunned by the easy nature in which he was dismissing the relationship.

"I'm great," Clark assured him. He beamed. "Now come on … we have presents to open. If we don't watch out, Bart will tear through our gifts too."

Oliver laughed and the two of them made their way to the tree to join the rest of the group.

Them just being there was really a good enough gift for Oliver but he was flattered that they even though to bring him presents. He was even more touched at the well thought out gifts he had received … people had gone out and shopped, thinking of _him_.

He was certain he had never been happier than he was at that moment.

The rest of the day went off fabulously. What was once the day he was dreading more than anything became something wonderful … something special … and something completely unexpected.

Senator Kent cooked them all Christmas brunch … they all tried to help her as much as possible but she limited them to small tasks, claiming that she was excited for having a big group to cook for again.

They stayed in, watching Christmas movies, not doing anything too extravagant. But that was what he enjoyed. Just spending time with people he cared about and who cared about him … that was what the holiday was about. And for the first time in a long time, he was experiencing that true joy that everyone talked about in association to Christmas.

How the day flew by, he didn't know. But before he knew it, night had fallen and everyone went off to bed.

There was plenty of space in his home and he made sure everyone was settled in the many guest rooms that the mansion had.

After double-checking that his guests were okay, Oliver made his way back to the living room. He lit up the fireplace and stared out the window. He still had a hard time believing that this day had actually happened … but it had.

"You look deep in thought," a deep voice said, bringing him back to reality. Turning around, he saw Clark making his way towards him.

"Not really," Oliver said. "Just … reflecting on today."

"And what conclusions have you drawn?" Clark asked, his eyes sparkling.

"That this was the best Christmas I've had in a long time," Oliver said honestly. "Thank you … for making it happen for me."

"No thank yous are necessary," Clark told him. "I'm glad you had a good day."

"I really did," Oliver said slowly. Clark smiled but then his expression changed, shifting to one of nervousness.

"Clark?" Oliver said but Clark didn't respond. He still looked slightly anxious but also seemed determined.

The brunette slowly made his way toward him and in one swift move, pulled Oliver into his arms.

Before Oliver could say a word, Clark covered his mouth with his own. Oliver moaned as Clark's lips met his, instantaneously responding to one of the gentlest kisses he had ever experienced in his life.

What started out gentle didn't stay that way for long, the kiss intensifying quickly. Oliver returned it with everything he had. He would've had no doubts that he was dreaming because there was no way Clark was actually kissing him. But the shivers that ran up and down his spine as Clark's hands explored the expanse of his back said otherwise.

Eventually, he had to pull away, a desperate need for air separating them. Oliver struggled to catch his breath, shocked at the turn of events. Clark had _kissed_him.

"Clark?" Oliver questioned, trying to find the right words.

"Mistletoe," Clark said, pointing upwards. Oliver looked to where he was pointing and he found that, indeed, there was mistletoe hanging above the window.

But that couldn't have possibly be the only reason Clark had kissed him, right? Oliver was standing under the mistletoe but Clark hadn't been … he had moved to take advantage of the fact that the blonde was there.

That had to mean something, right?

Clark slowly backed away and Oliver unconsciously followed him. The brunette moved to the couch and Oliver just took the seat next to him, wishing that Clark would say something, _anything_.

"Clark," Oliver tried but he was silenced with a finger to his lips.

"Ssshh," Clark said and leaned in to capture his lips for another kiss, this time even more passionately than before. Oliver melted into the brunette's embrace, easily losing himself in the kiss. Clark Kent was one of the best kissers that Oliver had ever had the pleasure of locking lips with and as his tongue found its way into Oliver's mouth, he found that he didn't really care for explanations.

In fact, as long as he could keep kissing Clark, he didn't think words were necessary at all.

It was Clark who pulled away this time and Oliver couldn't think let alone get his brain working long enough to form words.

"_That_was because of the mistletoe," Clark said, with a naughty smile on his face. "_This_one was just because I could … because I've wanted to for a long time and I'm really hoping that you want it too."

Oliver's head was spinning … confident, take-charge Clark was not one that he was used to but it was definitely a side of the younger man that he liked.

"I do," Oliver said, finally getting a hold of the English language once more. "I really want this … I've wanted it for a while, Clark."

"Good," Clark said, looking as pleased as he sounded. "Merry Christmas, Ollie."

"A Merry Christmas indeed," Oliver agreed, meeting Clark's lips for another kiss.

Christmas had not turned out like he expected … it had turned out much better.

No, he wasn't alone … he had friends, he had people who _loved_him … and best of all, he had Clark.

And he found that he could get used to this.

It had definitely been a Merry Christmas.


End file.
